Synopses & Reviews
"
The Covenant is Naomi Ragen at her finest hour."
--Faye Kellerman, author of Straight into Darkness
"A scrupulously fair-minded and riveting tale of current Israel. A deft mix of past and present, the story's as much political thriller as conventional tale about the ties of family and friendship." -Kirkus
"Ragen's skill at storytelling has been proven time and again. In The Covenant she not only manages to keep up the exciting momentum, but it is probably her strongest book to date." -Ruth Eglash, The Jerusalem Post
"An emotionally charged and engrossing book, The Covenant is a tribute to the power of friendship and the strength of love in the face of evil." -India Edghill, author of Wisdom's Daughter: A Novel of Solomon and Sheba
"The Covenant...brings the headlines heartbreakingly home and redefines the unlimited boundaries of lifelong friendship."--Gay Courter, author of The Midwife and Code Ezra
Synopsis
Living in Jerusalem, Elise Margulies fears for the lives of her husband and daughter every day. Then comes the day when her worst fears come true. Cancer specialist Dr. Jonathan Margulies drives his young daughter home from her ballet recital. His bullet-ridden car is found empty on the side of the road hours later. Elise, in the last stages of a difficult pregnancy, desperately calls her grandmother Leah in America for help and unknowingly revives a decades-old oath. Over five terror and hope-filled days during which ordinary people join the front lines against terrorism, the ties that bind two generations form a powerful alliance against contemporary evil.
Synopsis
Living in terror-torn Jerusalem, Elise Margulies constantly fears for the safety of her loved ones. Confined to bedrest during a difficult pregnancy, she happily awaits the return of her husband and little girl from a ballet recital, only to find that her worst fears have finally been realized. All seems lost until a phone call to her grandmother in America unexpectedly revives a decades-old oath, creating a force that transends time and place, to rescue her loved ones. Over the course of five terror- and hope-filled days, the ties that bind two generations forge a potent alliance against contemporary evil.
About the Author
Naomi Ragen is the author of novels including The Tenth Song, The Sacrifice of Tamar, Sotah, and The Saturday Wife. Her books are international bestsellers, and her weekly email columns on life in the Middle East are read by thousands of subscribers worldwide. Ragen attended Brooklyn College and earned her masters in English from Hebrew University. An American, she has lived in Jerusalem since 1971. She was recently voted one of the three most popular authors in Israel.
Reading Group Guide
1. To what do you think the title of this book refers?
2. Leah, Maria, Ariana and Esther all survived Auschwitz. Did their experiences affect them all in the same way, or differently? Explain.
3. Compare the different behavior and coping mechanisms of the four friends in the camps and later in their lives. What characteristics helped each to survive? Did these traits help or hinder them when they returned to normal life?
4. Compare Elise Margulies and her grandmother Leah. In what ways are they similar, different?
5. Leah Rabinowitz experienced the horrors of Nazi Germany. Her granddaughter Elise experiences the horrors of modern day terrorism. How would you compare their experiences? In what ways were their enemies similar, different?
6. Compare how the following Muslim men are portrayed: Ismael Abadi, Musa el Khalil, and Whalid Ibn Saud. How does each view his religious obligations, family loyalties, and aspirations for the future?
7. Julia Greenberg views herself as “a journalist. An objective journalist.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?
8. In what ways are Julias choices and problems particular to her, and in what ways are they true of all journalists, especially those covering the war between Israel and the Palestinians? How, in your opinion, does this affect the news we see and read?
9. The Covenant takes place in Israel. Could you see this story taking place in another geographic locale? How would it be the same? How would it be different?
10. If you were writing a sequel to this book, what would happen to Elise Margulies and her children? What would happen to Fatima and her children?